Unfaithful
by Whispering-Willow08
Summary: Who MC had married and who she loved turned out to be two different people. Consumed by guilt, she decides it's time to come clean and face the consequences of her infidelity so she can be with the one she truly loves. However, her husband will not let her go so easily. JuminXMCXSaeyoung
1. Chapter 1

Unfaithful

Tangled in wrinkly, off-white sheets, MC sat up slowly and ran a hand through her mussed hair. She held the sheets against her naked chest protectively, as if he hadn't seen her this way before. Keeping her eyes low, she looked at the clothes scattered across the floor, removed from heated bodies and tossed aside haphazardly. She bit her lip as he shifted beside her, almost cringing when his arm draped over her shoulders and pulled her towards his chest.

She looked up at amber eyes, normally sparkling with mischief, and frowned. Suddenly, there was so much she wanted to say, but the words just caught in her throat, and she looked down at her hands, clutching the sheets tightly. The dim light from the lamp at his bedside caught in the diamonds of her ring that created a brilliant sparkle and she squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden tightening in her chest.

Saeyoung placed a gentle finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. His carefree attitude had diminished, leaving behind the face of a serious man with furrowed brows and tight lips. Of course he sensed something was wrong. He had suspected it for quite some time, but he could never bring himself to ask her about it. Somehow, he knew what she would say if he did. But he couldn't ignore it forever. Leaning forward, he placed a warm kiss on the corner of her mouth and quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears, betraying any lie she may have come up with, and shook her head lightly. Part of her wanted so desperately to wrap her arms around his torso and sob into his bare chest until the broken feeling eating away at her dissipated, but the thought of drawing comfort from him when she was guilty enough only caused her more pain. "I can't do this anymore," she whispered, her voice cracking with the effort of holding back a sob.

Saeyoung's eyes softened as he searched her face, and he used the pad of his thumb to brush away a stray tear from the corner of her eye. He knew this day would come, deep down. He didn't want to believe it, but he could see her demeanor changing over the past few months. This was eating away at her, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't carrying around a fair amount of guilt too, but being with her was just so sweet, so perfect. Every kiss, every touch, every sharp breath of pure bliss that came when they were together was like nothing he had ever experienced before, and he was admittedly a selfish man for refusing to give it up, for not stopping it before it could start.

He glanced at the ring on her finger before cupping his hand over hers. "I know what you mean," he said lamely. Despite knowing this day would come sooner or later, he had refused to prepare himself for it, convincing himself that there would be another time, and another, and another.

She watched the mid-afternoon sunlight stream through the window and trail lazily over the floor. "I can't keep doing this to him, Saeyoung."

Him. The one Zen referred to as the "Trust Fund Jerk", the one that she had chosen after the RFA had nearly come crashing down around them, and the one who had built the foundation up to its former glory with added global influence. The lowly underground hacker couldn't have possibly competed with that.

"Are you really happy? Really?" The words were out of his mouth before he even knew what he was saying. He was in no position to ask her such a thing. She had everything she could ever want, he cherished her, and he was good to her. But if that were really so true, why had this started?

She dodged the question and leaned over the edge of the bed, reaching for clothes. "I'm going to tell him what's been going on," she said as she pulled her bra on quickly. "He deserves to know."

The thought of Jumin Han discovering his wife's affair, and more importantly who it was _with,_ made Saeyoung's blood run ice cold, and he reached out a hand to grab her wrist, to stop her, convince her of all the ways her plan could go terribly, terribly wrong. But he drew back. As he watched her stand and pull on the cashmere sweater he had most certainly bought for her, he knew she was right. He did deserve to know. Keeping a secret like this from his friend was only hurting all three of them.

"All right," he agreed reluctantly. "You tell him. And then what?"

She sat down hard on the edge of his bed, making him bounce. With her back to him and the sunlight shining directly over her, she almost appeared to be a shadow. "I'm going to leave him." The strength of her confession nearly made his jaw drop and she turned her head to the side to look at him. "I can't stay with him, Saeyoung. Not after all this. Not after," she hesitated, "you."

He understood and placed his hand on her cheek, pulling her into a soft kiss.

She lingered there for a moment, reveling in his warmth. "I'm so sorry." The words brushed against his lips with the faintest of touches. "I should never have…I shouldn't have…"

"Hey, hey," he muttered, pulling back slightly to press his forehead against hers, "God Seven may not be able to change the past, but he can create a new future with proper worshipping."

The faintest of smiles touched her lips and she let out a sigh that could almost be a laugh. "A new future sounds good," she agreed. "I'm going to need one after I tell my husband I've been cheating on him."

Saeyoung immediately frowned. Of course he knew what they had been doing this whole time, but the word had never been put so starkly. Frankly, they had never put into words what they were doing, they just let it happen. It was something that had simply started, that had no label, no acknowledgment, until now. But the fact of the matter was that she was cheating on her husband with Saeyoung, and he had more or less encouraged her to do so. After all, he never tried to stop her, and she had never really made an advancement in the first place, what was happening between them had been mutual from the start.

"Jumin won't be too happy about this," he said as though this was new information. "Who knows, he may even put a hit out on me!"

She turned to face him, her expression sad, the corners of her mouth tugged down with worry. "He wouldn't do that," she said slowly, "but he will be angry. The RFA…"

"I'll drop out if I have to," Saeyoung tried to assure her. "But maybe it won't come to that. Sure, he'll be madder at me than you, but he'll get over it someday."

MC shook her head. "You can't guarantee any of that. Everything we worked for could come to an end because of this." She groaned in frustration and buried her face in her hands. "I've made a huge mistake," she murmured through the barrier of her hands.

With a sigh, Saeyoung scooted himself closer to her until he was at her side. He took her hands gently and pulled them away from her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Do you really regret this?" he asked, holding her gaze despite his fear of her answer.

Her eyes brimmed with tears again, and this time he let them roll down her cheeks in shining crystal droplets. They met at her chin and dropped onto his knuckles. Still, he held her gaze.

"No." Her voice broke and she squeezed her eyes shut, dropping her head to his chest. "No, I don't, and that's the worst part of it! I've been cheating on my husband and I don't feel bad about it! The only reason I even feel guilty at all is because I _do_ have a husband and he's not _you,_ Saeyoung!"

He let her say her piece, placing a hand on the back of her head and holding her close as she did so. He rested his chin atop her mass of coffee brown hair, taking in the sweet floral scent of her expensive shampoo. "We should have never started this," he whispered, her pained tears tearing a hole in his heart. He hated that she was so upset over this, and he hated even more that he was the reason behind it.

"No!" she cried out in protest. "I should have…I should never have…" She choked back a sob, unable to bring herself to say what they both knew she wanted to.

Unable to find a tissue, he reached down and grabbed his hoodie, using its sleeve to wipe at her tears. He kissed her damp cheek and, as much as he wanted her to stay, as much as it killed him to send her off in that state, told her she should be heading home.

She nodded in agreement, hiccupping as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She got up off the bed, going to retrieve her purse from the tiny backroom with the giant television and ancient leather couch that Saeyoung called a living room while he got dressed.

At the front gate, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Where will you go after you tell him?" The question nagged at him and he needed to know before she left.

She shrugged lightly. "I doubt he'll kick me out right away. Jumin's not a bad guy. He'll give me a little time, I'm sure."

Nodding, he gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Come here when you can, okay?"

MC looked down at her feet. "That would be pretty terrible of me to run from my husband's house straight to the guy I cheated with, wouldn't it?"

"Probably," he said, cracking a light smile, "but at least you know you have somewhere to go, right?"

She chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Thank you, Saeyoung."

He smirked and cupped her check in his hand, pecking her lips. "Call me when you can."

"I will," she promised, and she forced herself to pull away, get into the car Jumin was so against her having since she could have utilized Driver Kim at any time, and drove to the penthouse. Her heart was pounding rapidly even though she knew he wouldn't be home just yet.

After greeting the security guards as usual, she stepped into the quiet home she had shared with her husband for the past year and was greeted by the welcoming purr of Elizabeth the 3rd twining through her legs. MC smiled warmly at the white ball of fluff and scooped her up into her arms. Stroking the spoiled cat behind the ears, she took a seat in one of the plush velvet chairs and waited for her husband to come home.

 **When I first started playing MM, Jumin was my favorite. But after playing through Seven's route, I fell head over heels in love with the guy. It's not that I don't like Jumin (he's great!), it's just that Seven is the one I ended up favoring in the end. My own change of heart got me wondering what would happen to MC if she also experienced that, so here you go! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm really excited about continuing this one.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bumped up the rating for safety's sake. Enjoy!**

Curled up in a tight ball on MC's lap, Elizabeth the 3rd purred contently in her sleep as her ears were scratched. MC leaned back against the welcoming plush of the chair, exchanging glances between the front door and the cat she loved so dearly. Her ears were silky and MC rubbed them lightly between her thumb and forefingers more for her own comfort than the cat's. She didn't expect Jumin home for another hour at least, but she had no desire to do anything other than sit there, wait, and try to figure out how to tell him about the horrible things she had been doing behind his back.

She sighed, stirring Elizabeth from her slumber, but the carefree feline merely stretched and repositioned herself on MC's lap. "What should I say to him?" she asked the cat quietly. "How am I supposed to explain what's been happening? I can barely understand it myself."

Elizabeth was of no help in her trouble-free world and MC resumed stroking her soft ears absently, wondering how it reached this point, trying to pinpoint the exact moment she began to stray from her husband mentally and physically.

The wedding had been extravagant, flooded with cheerful guests and flowing freely with wine. Her dress, a wispy ball gown, was tailor made for her from the finest silk Jumin could get his hands on. It was nearly weightless against her body, and she was able to dance the night away with her new husband and guests.

Zen, like a true actor, had twirled her across the floor with Jumin watching in good humor with his father. When Yoosung cut in shyly, eager to try out the new dance he had learned in his university's dance club, Zen passed her hand over to him graciously. She had teased the young blond as he awkwardly stepped on her toes and kept his hand high up on her back, but when the song ended she gave him a sweet peck on his cheek.

The night passed quickly on but the energy didn't begin to die down until the wee hours of the morning. At one point, once enough alcohol had been consumed, MC had even gotten Jaehee to come out on the floor to dance. As she started to grow tired, she remembered turning to look for Jumin, but was stopped by a friendly arm sliding around her waist and she looked up to see a mess of red hair and big grin plastered on the infiltrator's face.

"You were dancing with the e _ntire_ RFA, right?" Saeyoung had joked, taking her hand to give her a spin.

She laughed as her dress spiraled around her ankles and placed her hand on his shoulder when she had completed the turn. "I must have forgotten about you."

"Too caught up in wedded bliss, I see," he smirked wryly. "It's all right; I suppose I'll forgive you this time."

"Oh, good," she replied, feigning relief. "I don't know what I would do if God Seven had a grudge against me."

"Oh, a grudge like that would ruin your life, I assure you." He snickered and let her go, giving her a gentle push to where Jumin was discussing last minute care for Elizabeth with Jaehee. "Go enjoy being married, I'll hold down the RFA until you two lovebirds get back."

She glanced behind her shoulder at him and smirked. "Don't burn it to the ground."

"No promises," he said, waving her off.

Jumin had placed his arm around her shoulders as soon as she approached, and she remembered the way his warm fingers had felt against her bare skin. His touch left a tingling trail over her heated flesh, and he asked if she was having a good time. In his eyes, she was the very definition of a blushing bride, and he told her so as he led her up to the honeymoon suite where they would lie together for the first time.

The honeymoon had been a solid week of tropical beaches, frozen drinks, and hours spent between cool cotton sheets. They returned tanned from the sun and very much in love. However, as the months wore on, the honeymoon phase began to fizzle out and life returned to normal. Jumin began to spend more late nights at the office and MC was bored. He had nixed the idea of her finding a part-time job so she could have something to do during the day because he felt his wife should never have to work. That resulted in a small argument which was quickly resolved with hot kisses and an all expenses paid trip to the day spa for MC and two of her close friends from college. After that, she simply began to go out and meet up with her friends or other members of the RFA if they happened to have free time. Just getting out of the penthouse did wonders to resolve her boredom.

Looking back, she realized the first time she began to recognize that her feelings for Saeyoung may possibly have been more than friendly was after a particularly exhausting RFA party. There had been an emergency with a very important account at C&R International and Jumin had no choice but to run out in the middle of the party with Jaehee in tow to resolve it. Yoosung had been unable to attend due to a string of finals he had not yet begun to study for, which just left Zen, Saeyoung, and MC to flutter around and chat up the guests to ensure large donations.

Once the venue cleared out, the three of them had busied themselves assisting the clean-up crew. She remembered what happened so clearly, though it had been such a small, insignificant thing. She had picked up a half-empty champagne flute off a table when Saeyoung walked by carrying a tray of them. He didn't even say anything, he simply held his free hand out for it, but as she handed it to him, their fingers brushed and the shock from the warm sensation it caused made them both look up. Their eyes locked and something inside MC stirred. A touch of pink hit her cheeks and she turned away from him quickly, muttering something about how all of the glasses had been cleared.

Jumin wasn't able to come home that night, and MC had found herself lying in bed and looking between her hand and the text Saeyoung sent her asking if she had gotten home okay.

Since Zen and Saeyoung both technically did freelance work, they were the most available to hang out and keep MC company during the long days Jumin was working. The small group would wander the shopping areas, go out to eat, or watch movies together. Occasionally, Yoosung would join them as well if he didn't have a class (or he was skipping).

Jumin had no qualms about his wife spending her days in the company of men. They were, after all, RFA members, and his own friends at that. He knew he could trust them to keep his wife safe while he worked. He did, however, feel quite guilty that he was unable to join them. Every once in a while, he would take a day off and spend the entire day holding MC and apologizing for being unable to spend more time with her. She loved him deeply for his efforts, but something inside was nagging her. It was as if there was an empty space that Jumin couldn't quite reach.

Her thoughts would occasionally drift to Saeyoung, and she would mentally slap them away, forcing them out of her mind as quickly as they came. He would send her funny pictures or try out a lame joke on her every once in a while, and that made it much more difficult to deter her thoughts.

Sometimes it would just be the two of them hanging out for the day. His hand would brush against hers as they walked together. He would place a hand on the small of her back to guide her if they were walking through a particularly crowded area, and if they were watching movies at his house their legs would rest against each other as they sat on his small couch. He would sometimes drape an arm over the back of the back of the couch behind her, and his arm would eventually fall to lay loosely over her shoulders. She didn't say anything about it, because the gesture didn't really feel romantic, and she was comfortable. And, if she was being honest with herself, she didn't want him to remove his arm anyway. If Zen and Yoosung noticed their contact when they were there, they didn't say anything.

The guilty feelings began to sink in soon after, when she was laying in bed with Jumin's arms wrapped protectively around her and her thoughts drifting towards Saeyoung as she slid into sleep. She tried to push the feelings away. After all, there was no merit to them. She had done nothing wrong.

And then the day came when she did something to be guilty about.

Rain had been pounding on the windows that day, and occasional flashes of blinding lightning were followed quickly by the low rumbling of thunder. It was, according to Saeyoung, the perfect weather for watching scary movies. Zen had had a rehearsal that day, and Yoosung an exam, so MC and Saeyoung were left sitting in his dark living room with a bowl of popcorn between them while a group of teenagers tried to escape from a demon on TV.

Perhaps, MC thought later, if Zen or Yoosung had been there that day nothing would have ever happened. But, as fate would have it, they were alone.

She remembered Saeyoung, engrossed in the movie, reaching for the popcorn and missing, brushing against her leg. The sudden touch mixed with what was happening on screen caused her to yelp in surprise, jumping at the contact. It was then that Saeyoung turned to face her, a mischievous grin spreading on his face, and MC knew she was in trouble.

"Well, well, well, afraid of a little murderous demon, now are we?" he had asked teasingly.

"Of course not," MC scoffed, trying to act tough despite the fact that the movie was indeed starting to frighten her. "It's just when someone suddenly grabs my leg, I can't help but jump."

"Oh, sure," Saeyoung replied with a playful rolling of the eyes. He poked her arm and smirked. "Never fear, the great Defender of Justice is also the Defender of Demons. I'll protect you!"

"I don't need your protection," MC retorted, turning her head away from him.

"Oh, no?" Saeyoung asked, cocking a brow. He began to poke her arm using both hands. "You don't need anyone to protect you from the hideous poking demon possessing me? You better call an exorcist; it's getting out of control!"

He continued his antics, causing MC to burst out laughing at his silliness, which only encouraged him to go on. She turned to tell him to knock it off after a moment, still laughing, but stopped short when she found herself face-to-face with him. Their faces were only mere millimeters apart and the sudden closeness quickly wiped the ridiculous grin from Saeyoung's face.

Looking back, MC couldn't remember who closed the gap first. Perhaps it had been both of them, moving at the same time. She could have easily pulled back before any contact had been made and simply gone back to the movie, maybe avoiding the months of turmoil that had followed, but there was no point dwelling on the what ifs.

Their lips met cautiously, brushing against each other softly. It wasn't like in the movies, where two people who had been fighting an attraction suddenly began passionately kissing, unable to restrain their emotions any longer. No, it wasn't like that all. He had given her lower lip a gentle suck then pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. Her heart was pounding rapidly and he raised a hand to place on her cheek. They spent a moment searching each other's eyes. His somber amber eyes had told her she had a choice: pull back or continue. She barely had time to consider her options before their lips met again, and once more she wasn't sure who had moved in first. It could have easily been her.

She had wrapped her arms around his shoulders as their kiss deepened. His hands moved to her waist and slid behind her back to pull her body flush against his chest. As his tongue slid into her mouth, she leaned back against the couch, pulling him down with her. He lay between her legs, tangling a hand in her hair as she began to push his hoodie off his shoulders. He tossed the hoodie aside after a moment and reached a hand down to hitch up her skirt, never breaking the heated hold his lips had on hers.

She could feel his hardened length pressing against her core and she remembered the racing electric pulses it had sent rushing through her body. Once her skirt was pulled up to her waist, he reached down and began to unzip his jeans. His eyes met hers as he did this, silently asking permission. She didn't say anything, only leaned her head up and caught his lips in a hard kiss. With her consent, he pushed aside her damp panties and slid himself into her.

She had rolled her hips against his, moaning softly in his ear and gripping a handful of red hair as bright lightning flashed at the window and thunder rumbled so close by that it rattled the cans of Ph.D. Pepper sitting on the coffee table. His cheek was pressed against hers as he kept a steady rhythm, and his hot breath tickled her ear. The sensations he brought out from her filled that empty space that had been building up, and she tensed against him as her orgasm crashed around her. He withdrew from her after she had had a moment to ride it out and pulled back to spill his release onto the worn leather couch cushions.

They both took a moment to catch their breath. Their eyes never left each other's, silently acknowledging what they had done but never speaking a word of it aloud.

MC sat up slowly, adjusted her skirt, and the two of them finished the movie in a silence that wasn't awkward but felt tense nonetheless. When it was over, she got up to leave and they said their usual goodbyes as if it had never happened.

She had decided not to tell Jumin because it was only once – it was an accident – and it was not going to happen again.

The only problem was it did happen again. And again. And again.

After that first time, spending time together felt strange. They avoided meeting each other's eyes, and both seemed unsure about what to say around the other. When they were in a group, everything was normal, but on the occasions they were alone things remained stiff. That is, until he had kissed her as soon as she had walked through his front door one day. The dam broke loose then, and the secret relationship truly formed with a side of guilt to go along with it.

As the months wore on, MC felt herself mentally detaching from Jumin. She hated that it was happening. Her husband was good to her. He had done nothing to deserve this, and it tore her apart piece by piece every time she lay with Saeyoung. Every time she told herself it was the last time, and then it happened again.

Saeyoung was like a drug. He made her laugh in ways that Jumin didn't. He brought on an ecstasy that Jumin had never touched. He held deep conversations for hours about anything and everything and shared wonderfully hilarious and believable conspiracy theories while Jumin…Jumin was at work.

The elevator in the hallway outside dinged and MC stiffened in her chair, heart racing. The time had come. She couldn't breathe. Looking down at Elizabeth, she quietly asked, "Will you still love me after all of this?" The spoiled cat responded by craning her neck and giving MC's nose a gentle lick with her sandpaper tongue.

Her husband opened the front door and stepped inside. He wore his usual three-piece suit with a pinstriped button-up. Looking devilishly handsome as usual, he set his briefcase aside and walked up to greet her.

He smirked and bent over the chair to give his wife a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Yes, Jumin, I…" She hesitated then gently nudged Elizabeth off so she could stand. "I need to tell you something."

He paused, noting the seriousness in her tone. She looked worried. Her clothes were wrinkled and her hair needed to be brushed, but she obviously didn't care much for her appearance at the moment. "All right," he replied cautiously. "What is it?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "Jumin, I need to talk to you about something and it's not easy for me to say this."

Her voice wavered and he placed his pointer finger underneath her chin, tilting her head up. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

She bit her lip, knowing she could beat around the bush all day but she would have to get to the point eventually. And with Jumin, it was best to be blunt anyway. She took a deep breath, averting her eyes once more as they filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, Jumin. I never meant for this to happen, I really-."

"Meant for what to happen?" he interrupted, his tone growing cold. "What did you do?"

She cringed and gripped her arms tightly. "I made a mistake, Jumin. I…I slept with someone. I'm so sorry…so sorry." Her voice became constricted as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She tried to blubber out an apology but the reality of telling her husband about her infidelity was hitting her hard, and to make matters worse, he had become deadly quiet. As she forced out "I'm so sorry" over and over again, she cautiously began to look up to read his expression. The breath caught in her throat. His lips had formed a tight line, his brows knitted together, and his normally soft eyes cold and steely. She watched him, inwardly seething, with wide eyes. She had never seen him this way before. His silence was causing panic to rise in her chest. As she looked into his eyes, she could see it clearly.

Jumin Han had snapped.


	3. Chapter 3

"Who did this to you?"

The question caught her off guard and for a moment she could only stare up at him, her brow knitted together in confusion. Her voice became thick with tears and she cleared her throat before choking out a soft, "What?"

He raised his hand and placed his palm against her cheek, brushing her tears away with his thumb. He appeared to be deadly calm, his voice low and soft. "Who tempted you? Who convinced you to stray away from me?"

MC's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. "This is my fault, Jumin. No one convinced me." She bit her lip and averted her eyes from his gaze. "I'm so sorry. I really am. I knew what I was a doing and, damn it, I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't stop! I never wanted to hurt you, I just-."

"It must have been one of the other RFA members," he contemplated as though he hadn't heard her. "Yoosung is far too childish to tempt you in such a way, but Zen…he would have no qualms in bribing you away from me." He caught her gaze, his expression serious but thoughtful, almost dreamy. "Was it Zen?"

She pressed her lips together and turned her eyes away from him. She didn't want to bring Saeyoung into this. Jumin had power. He could do anything he wanted if he got angry enough. However, she didn't want to throw Zen under the bus either. "No."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it tightly as a deep shadow washed over his handsome features. His voice suddenly held the venom she had expected in the first place. "Luciel."

"Jumin, don't be angry with him. This isn't his fault!" MC pleaded, but he only shook his head and spoke as if she had said nothing.

"I should have never allowed you to spend time with him alone. You were far too pure, too innocent. You didn't know any better. Of course he was able to convince you to stray." He frowned and stroked her hair gently. "You poor thing. You probably had no idea what was happening."

She recoiled as if he had struck her. "No, Jumin! That isn't what happened at all! I-!"

He shushed her and placed a cool finger over her lips. "It's all right. You don't have to worry about seeing him. I'll make sure he never tempts you again."

"Jumin," she tried again, her voice cracking with a mixture of anger and fear, "it wasn't like that! Please, listen to me!"

"I'll just have to keep you here until you remember that you are my wife, that you chose me." His voice was dreamy and he gazed distractedly behind her. "I can't allow you to see them again," he continued, and she found herself suddenly being led down the hallway, his hand gripping her arm. "I have to ensure that you will not stray from me again. No one will tempt you."

Panic began rising in her chest and she turned to look up at him as she stumbled along beside him. "What are you talking about?" she whispered.

He reached out with his free hand and opened the door to one of the guest rooms. "You are mine," he nearly growled, "and until I can be sure that your thoughts will no longer stray away from me, I cannot allow you to leave."

"Jumin!" But her pleading cry was cut off as he shoved her with a surprising force into the room. She stumbled, caught herself on the edge of the bed, and whirled around to face him, his massive height nearly reaching the top of the door. "Don't do this!"

He shook his head slowly. "It's for your own good," he told her sadly. "I love you."

The door closed and she heard the heavy click of the lock sliding into the place. Jumin had just had all of the doors replaced the week before, since Elizabeth had taken to clawing up the old ones, but some of them had been installed incorrectly, with the locks on the outside of the room. He was planning on having them reinstalled the following week. Her heart sank as she realized why he had chosen to place her in this room.

Hot tears fell against her cheeks and she drew her arms around her chest, hugging herself tightly. There would be no point in banging on the wall and screaming for him to release her. The penthouse was soundproof, and the guards outside would never be able to hear her.

She had hoped to talk things out, explain that she wasn't happy, apologize profusely, and make plans to leave. She had expected anger, maybe even tears, and hurtful accusations. But this, she never could have guessed that Jumin would react the way he did. Suddenly, she was a sitting duck at the mercy of her husband. Her phone was in her purse, sitting uselessly in the hallway.

The bedroom was large, with silky bed sheets and a small flat screen television sitting on the sleek white dresser. A digital clock radio glowed dimly in the light of the setting sun, and the door to the connected bathroom stood ajar. The room held no personality. It had been done in soft grays and whites, with no personal elements, leaving the room feeling hollow and bare. It was rarely used, after all. Her father-in-law sometimes slept in this room on the scarce occasions he stayed overnight.

The penthouse had fallen into silence. She could do nothing but wait.

-0-

Saeyoung checked his phone, his lips twitching into a frown when he saw that he had no new messages. He expected to hear from her by now. He leaned back in his rolling chair and turned his attention back to the computer screen, where a half-finished coding job stared back at him.

He had left the underground agency with the help of Vanderwood (though it hadn't necessarily been an easy feat), and stuck to much more legal freelance coding jobs. The income was decent enough, and he was gaining popularity with his ability to complete assignments in record time. The amount of free time he had during the week because of it gave him plenty of time to hang out with his friends…and with her.

He looked at his phone again, urging it to light up with a message, but the screen remained black. He cursed himself for ever having gotten her into this mess. Everything about it was his fault, after all. If he had only tried harder to get her attention when she had first appeared in the chat room, maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they had. But he only stood idly by, watching her fall in love with Jumin. She had laughed at all of Saeyoung's jokes and chatted with him late at night when all the other RFA members were asleep, but still she had chosen Jumin in the end. It hurt, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn't the type to steal away someone else's love. Or at least, he thought he wasn't.

At the wedding, she had been radiant, glowing with joy and smiling her dazzling smile. He had watched her share her first dance with her new husband, and as the night went on he hung out at the table reserved for RFA members. He rolled his eyes as Zen cut into a dance with her and swept her across the dance as if he was performing on stage. He snickered as Yoosung stepped on her toes, probably scuffing the designer shoes Jumin had bought her for the occasion, and he laughed loudly when MC pulled a very drunk Jaehee out onto the dance floor. As it began to get late, he figured he might as well get a turn in with the new bride.

The silk of her dress was cool to the touch as he slid his hand over the curve of her waist. He spun her around, admiring how perfectly the dress clung to her, and when she completed the rotation she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. He relished at her touch, at the way his hand felt holding on to hers, and although he joked and carried on as normal, dancing that way had caused a dull ache to begin to throb in his chest. He couldn't continue to hold her that way, and so he had given her a gentle push; away from him and towards her new husband.

Months went by and life went on as usual. He continued to take advantage of Yoosung's gullibility, participate in the chat room, and attend every RFA party. However, the parties had become a little difficult. Every time he saw her, dressed elegantly in the party gowns Jumin surely had made for her, he felt that dull ache welling up again. He did his best to keep a little distance between them, but still initiating enough conversation to keep things seeming normal.

But then, during one of the parties, Jumin had to leave. They were all exhausted after chatting up all of the guests, but the RFA always took the time to assist the cleaning crews. He had made himself busy moving about the tables and picking up discarded glasses when he saw her looking around for a place to put a dirty champagne flute. He had reached for it as he passed by, and their fingers brushed, stopping him in his tracks.

He saw the change in her eyes. Something inside of her shifted as they touched, and a pink blush rose onto her cheeks. She muttered something unintelligible and quickly turned away, but his fingers tingled for the rest of the night.

As Zen began to get more television roles and Yoosung's final exams approached, Saeyoung found himself spending more and more time alone with MC. They went out a lot, but occasionally she would come to his house to hang out and watch movies. He could talk about anything and everything with her, and when they sat in his dimmed living room, eyes trained on the TV screen, he found that his arm would find its way around her shoulders. She never said anything about it. Perhaps she had been too focused on the movie to notice. But the more they were alone, the more he found himself doing it. Part of him felt completely guilty about it. She was someone else's wife. He shouldn't have been touching her in such a romantic way. But the other part of him reveled in the feeling so much, he was able to suppress the guilty feelings.

He struggled to control himself when they were together. When they talked, he found that his eyes cast downwards to her lips. When they walked together, he found his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. When they sat beside each other, their legs pressed together despite the extra room on the couch. Every touch only made him want her more, and the fact that she was doing nothing to stop it only made his wanting worse.

And then the day came where he went too far.

He was only joking with her, as he always did, but they had gotten too close, their lips all but hovering over each others. He stared at them for a moment. They were full and naturally red, practically begging to be kissed, and suddenly the gap was closed. He wasn't sure who leaned forward first, but her lips were firm and velvety soft against his own. He remembered pulling back, his eyes scanning her face, questioning. His years at the agency had taught him to read people well, and what he saw was confusion, maybe a little guilt, but no regret. Maybe she was lonely. Maybe life with Jumin hadn't been everything she expected it to be. Maybe she had been fighting the same feelings for him as he had for her. He didn't know, and in that moment he didn't care.

He kissed her again, and all of the feelings he had worked so hard to suppress broke free. Before he knew it, he was on top of her, working her skirt up to her waist. Her nod of approval was all he needed.

Being inside of her was like finally breaking through a coding barrier that proved impossible. He had pulled her tightly against him, feeling her body move and tighten around him. He had been with other women, mostly for gathering information on missions assigned by the agency, but nothing had ever felt the way being with MC did, and his wanting began to turn into a need.

Knowing that he had slept with his friend's wife brought the immeasurable weight of guilt down on his shoulders, and after the first time he swore he would never let it happen again. After all, he had gotten what he wanted, hadn't he?

That day, they made the silent agreement to never let it happen again.

It took almost a month, but things settled back into normalcy for them. They hung out, sometimes alone, sometimes with the others, and talked and watched movies. But every once in a while he would catch her glancing at him, and in that look he would see the want to in her eyes. He felt it himself every time they brushed against each other, or their eyes met. He had made a promise to himself, but he could feel the edges of that promise beginning to break away.

Then, one day, she had come through his front he door and he took her shoulders and kissed her with all the force that had been building up between them. She made no attempt to push him away, and soon they found themselves lying together in his bed, facing each other, his hand gently rubbing her bare arm as they both came down from their high.

They carried on this way every time they were alone together, the spell only broken when the sun began to set and she had to return to her other life. He cherished every moment with her. Every gentle kiss, every drawn out breath, the way she would rest her head over his heart when they were finished, and even the way she whispered his name into his ear brought him to a place he never thought he could reach. He didn't deserve her, but he couldn't stop his selfishness.

Over time, he could see that the guilt was beginning to eat away at her. She never said anything about it, but she didn't need to. It was written all over her face. He didn't want it to end, but he couldn't let her continue to hurt.

"We don't have to keep doing this," he said to her one afternoon as she rested naked on his chest, his hand rubbing up and down her back lazily. He could feel her tense against him at his words, but he couldn't see her face.

After a long, lingering silence, she finally whispered, "I know." And that was all she had to say on the matter. He would continue to violate the sanctity of her marriage and she would continue to love him whole-heartedly until, several weeks later, she would reach her breaking point.

Cursing himself for allowing it to continue, beating himself up for starting it in the first place, he checked his blank phone again.

 **Originally, I wasn't planning on writing from Saeyoung's point of view, but it's one of those things that just sort of happened, and I'm actually really happy with it. I hope you enjoyed! It makes me so happy to read your reviews, so please let me know what you think! Ill update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

The click of the lock sliding out of place startled MC out of the half-asleep dreamless state she had hovering in all night, and she bolted upright, clutching the sheets to her chest. Jumin stood in the doorway, balancing a covered tray in one hand and holding a paper bag in the other.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," he said apologetically as he set the tray on the dresser. "Unfortunately, I was unable to get out of work today. I've brought you breakfast and a change of clothes. I will try to bring you lunch, but I'll be home for an early dinner for sure."

A glimmer of hope rose in MC's chest. "We can talk tonight?"

Jumin only set the bag down and shook his head. "I don't like keeping in you in here, but you've given me no choice. I'll come up with a better solution today."

Her heart sank as the door shut and the lock clicked back into place once more. As she ate, she thought about how badly she wanted to contact Saeyoung. He must have been up all night worrying, just as she had. She wanted to contact the other RFA members as well. They had all grown accustomed to daily contact with each other. She wondered how long it would take for them to start to worry.

She showered quickly and put on the outfit Jumin had brought her; a casual skirt and a sweater. His behavior was concerning. She wanted to believe that he couldn't keep her trapped in the penthouse forever, but with his power and connections, she knew he had ways to pull it off. She could become a prisoner in her own home, and the thought made her shudder.

She was sitting on the floor, knees drawn to her chest and resting her back against the mattress when the security camera mounted in the corner suddenly moved. The quick movement nearly made her jump, alarmed. The cameras were installed all throughout the penthouse, but they were never turned on when someone was home. They were only activated when she and Jumin were away for long periods of time.

She bit her lip, looking up at the camera with a confused expression. Jumin must really not trust her if he was watching her on the security camera while she was trapped in a locked room. It was, however, her own fault that he was compelled to do this. But the camera moved jerkily again, and she thought that if Jumin really were watching her he wouldn't be making it so obvious.

She squinted as the camera jerked again; up and down, then left and right, as if it was trying to get her attention. Standing slowly, she leaned forward to get a closer look, as if she could see whoever was doing this through the lens.

Suddenly, it clicked. "Saeyoung?" she whispered.

The camera moved up and down in confirmation and she couldn't help but break into a smile. It jerked to the side, pointing to a spot behind her shoulder. She wrinkled her brow as she watched it move back to point directly at her, and then jerk to point behind her once more. Confused, she turned around. There was nothing outside of the bright, sunny windows and the only things sitting on the nightstand behind her were a plain lamp and the clock radio.

She paused. The radio! She grabbed for it and turned back to the camera. When it bobbed up and down in approval she turned the radio on and began to sweep the stations. Blasts of various genres of music pulsed into the room as she adjusted the frequency, searching. All she could find were music stations in between occasional bursts of static and she began turning the dial more quickly in her frustration.

"…hear me…?" There! She turned the dial back slowly. "Can you hear me?" Saeyoung's voice came through clearly and the air escaped her lungs in a long sigh of relief.

She sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. "Yes, I can hear you."

"I hacked the radio frequency since the security camera didn't have two-way audio. Pretty neat, huh?" She could hear the pride in his voice, and she almost wanted to laugh at how giddy he sounded, but he quickly turned serious and said, "I didn't hear from you. I got worried."

"I'm sorry." She looked up at the camera, trying to pretend she was talking to him face-to-face. "I don't have my phone. I'm…stuck."

"He locked you in there, didn't he?"

She glanced down at her feet. "Yeah."

"I'll get you out. I'll-."

She shook her head quickly to stop him. "It's my fault, Saeyoung. He's not going to keep me in here forever, but he's not done punishing me either. Whatever he does, I deserve it. I could have stopped what was going on between us anytime, but I didn't. I didn't want to. I had to tell him. I hope you understand that."

He sighed quietly, a strange sound to come through the radio speakers. "I do. But it's not your fault, you know. I'm the one to blame here."

"That's not true." She bit her lip, chewing it thoughtfully. "I rushed into marriage so quickly. I was so caught up in everything that happened, so caught up in being in love…or what I thought was love. I never gave myself a chance to stop and really think things through. I should never have-."

"I know," he interrupted. "I shouldn't have started this with you. Don't blame yourself. It really is my fault. I kissed you first."

She didn't know if that was entirely true, and she shook her head. "No, I should never have gotten married," she finished.

The silence between them grew palpable. Finally, Saeyoung broke it. "Are you okay in there? Do you need anything? I could figure out a way to get you out."

"I'm all right," she said, and she knew she didn't sound very convincing. "From what he said this morning, it sounds like he'll be letting me out tonight."

"Okay," he said hesitantly. "I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on you. Make sure you're okay."

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully.

"The Defender of Justice is here for you," he declared, cracking a smirk.

She paused and glanced up at the camera. "Saeyoung?"

"Yeah?"

She looked down at her knees, gripping them lightly. "When did this start? I mean really start? How long have you wanted to be with me?"

His silence told her everything.

Late morning bloomed into a hazy afternoon as clouds began to drift lazily across the sky. The room began to grow dark as rain threatened to spill over the penthouse, but MC couldn't bring herself to get up and turn on a light. Saeyoung was still keeping an eye on her, she could practically feel him, but the radio remained silent. Her question had brought an end to their conversation, but that was all right. She needed to think, and she thought he might know that.

She had always thought Saeyoung was funny. She laughed at the goofy things he would say in the chat room when she first became an RFA member, and she always looked forward to talking to him. So then, she wondered now, why had she fallen for Jumin first?

He was charming, of course. He was well-mannered and respectful and she had always liked that in a man. He was elegant and poised, and always kept a level head. He never tried to sweet-talk her, or compliment her on her looks as Zen had done. He simply talked to her; straight-forward, joke free, and easy. Yes, that was it. It had been easy to talk to Jumin, which in turn made it easy to get close to him. Conversation was effortless, and it flowed in a way that was so uncomplicated. With Saeyoung, he had constantly joked around or changed the subject. He couldn't be taken seriously. Of course, they all later discovered it was due to him hiding his past. It was after she had become engaged to Jumin that the real Saeyoung showed himself.

She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. A burning tear trailed down her cheek before she even realized she was crying, and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. She wished she had never agreed to marry Jumin so quickly. Eleven days was certainly not enough to make any rational decisions, and Jumin of all people should have known that. She wished she had never kissed Saeyoung, and that he would have just left her alone to enjoy her marriage. She wished she could rewind and fix everything. But above all, she wished she had chosen Saeyoung from the very beginning, so they all could be spared from this.

She recalled the time Jumin had gone on an international business trip. She had decided not to accompany him as he had warned her he would be working nonstop and there would be no time to spend with her. Of course, that only meant she had ended up in Saeyoung's bed. They were always careful, but that time they had both ended up falling into a peaceful, comfortable sleep. She had awoken first, when the first dull rays of sunlight began to stream into the room. His chest was pressed gently against her back, lips just barely hovering over her shoulder as his warm breath ghosted over her bare skin. His left arm was beneath the pillow she had been sleeping on, supporting her neck, and his right arm was draped loosely around her chest. She had slept with her hand near her face, and his fingers traced her open palm in tender, fluttering motions even as he slept. It was then, as she watched his sleepy movements that her heart swelled so much she felt it might burst.

She had closed her fingers over his, stirring him from his sleep. His lips brushed against her shoulder as took in a long, wakeful breath. He had raised his head, taken in the sunlight coming through the window, and panicked, shattering the tranquility she had been relishing in.

"We have to get you home," he had muttered, his voice still thick with sleep. He pulled on his clothes haphazardly as she stood and dressed herself without protest. He was right, after all. Jumin may not have been there, but the guards were.

He had given her a lingering kiss goodbye at his front door. Neither of them wanted to break it, but eventually she pushed him away gently and got into her car.

Jumin's security guards eyed her wearily as she made her way to the elevator that would take her to the penthouse. She kept her eyes on the ground and mumbled, unprompted, about drinking too much with her friends and being unable to drive home. It was a weak excuse, considering Driver Kim was always at her disposal, but it was the best she could come up with. She was certain the guards had their suspicions, and she was grateful that none of them questioned her about it or brought it up to her husband.

She savored the way Saeyoung held her when they were together, but that didn't mean she disliked being with Jumin. Their styles were just so different. Jumin always preferred her to rest her head against his chest, and he would wrap both arms protectively around her as they slept. If they were lying side by side, he wanted her to face him so he could admire her as she slept. He would stroke her cheek with the faintest of touches and brush her hair behind her ear as they both fell into individual dreams. She enjoyed it well enough, and she liked the way he made her feel so safe, but it didn't change the fact that something had been missing and she had found it when she lay with Saeyoung.

Intimacy with Jumin didn't change much, even after the guilt had begun to consume her alive. He loved her with an intensity that only Jumin Han could manage. He filled her to the hilt and drew hard, ragged breaths from her trembling body. His love was rough and exciting, and he was fully capable of taking her gently and sweetly when the mood was right, but he was still unable to grasp that deep, dark place that only Saeyoung could reach.

She did her best to avoid being intimate with Jumin on the days she had been with Saeyoung, but occasionally Jumin would initiate and she didn't want to stop her husband. After all, she still loved him. Part of her still wanted to be with him, for a while at least. She felt so horrible allowing this to continue. Over and over again, she told herself that Jumin deserved to know that he wasn't the only one burying himself deep inside of her and holding her close. Of course, now that she had told him, she didn't really feel any better.

"Don't cry."

The words yanked her from her thoughts and forced her back into reality. She realized as she had been lost in her mind, fresh tears made trails along her stained cheeks. She wiped them away with the hem of her skirt.

"I'm sorry," she said thickly, casting a quick glance at the camera. "I was just thinking."

"Yeah, me too," Saeyoung agreed dejectedly. "Want me to leave you alone?"

She bit her lip, mulling it over for a moment before nodding. "Just for a little while."

"All right," he agreed, and shut the camera off to give her some privacy. The hacker leaned his head back against his computer chair and closed his eyes. The opened bag of Honey Buddha Chips shifted in his lap, but he couldn't bring himself to eat them. For the first time in his short life, Honey Buddha Chips were the last thing he wanted, and even the overpowering sweetness of Ph. D. Pepper couldn't wash away the bad taste that had been forming in his mouth.

She was crying because of him. She was locked up in that room because of him. If he had only been honest with her from the very beginning, they could be living happily by now. He shook the thought away. No, if he had just kept his damn feelings to himself she wouldn't be in this mess and he could have just kept up a healthy, albeit painful, friendship with her. It would have been better that way.

He clicked a few keys on his keyboard and suddenly Jumin's office at C&R's main building flashed onto his monitor. Of course, what he was doing was totally illegal, but old habits die hard.

Jumin was sitting at his desk, fiddling with something small that Saeyoung couldn't quite make out. His face remained as passive as ever, and he watched as Jaehee came in, delivered a few papers, and walked back out. Jumin appeared to ignore them, casting them off to the side as he examined that object in his hands.

The hacker groaned and massaged his temples as a headache began to form. He hadn't just hurt her; he had hurt Jumin as well. They weren't exactly the best of friends, but they were still friends, and they were all part of what was supposed to be an organization dedicated to doing good and helping others in need. He was a hypocrite, and he alone was going to be the one responsible for the decline of the RFA. There was no way things could continue normally after all of this. There was a million ways the organization could come crashing down around all of them like glass, and he was the one holding the hammer.

Jumin got up from his desk and began to gather his things, bringing Saeyoung back to reality. With a frown, he switched the camera back over to the spare room in the penthouse and turned his microphone back on.

He cringed when he saw that MC had not moved from her spot. He wanted nothing more than to hold her against him and protect her from the consequences of his actions. But he couldn't do that. All he could do was pull the microphone to his lips and say, "He just left the office. He'll be there soon."

By the time Jumin returned to the penthouse, the murky skies above had burst open, releasing a hard, pounding rain that distorted the view of the city through the spotless windows. MC heard him set his briefcase down in the hall, greet Elizabeth, and make his way towards the room she occupied. She moved to sit up on the bed as she waited for him, wanting so badly to talk things out, explain what happened, place all the blame on herself, and gently ask for a divorce. Normally, Jumin was a rational being. Normally, he would calmly listen to her reasoning. However, Jumin was no longer in a normal state, and the fact that he was capable of so much frightened her.

He opened the door, carrying what appeared to be a large jewelry box, and stepped inside. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he began before she could even open her mouth. "You must be hungry. We'll eat together in a moment. I have something for you first."

"Jumin," MC started, rising from the mattress. "Can we talk? Please? There's so much I need to say to you. Will you listen?"

"Sit down," he instructed with a curtness that was so startling she immediately sat back down. She watched as he opened the jewelry box and removed a black, chunky bracelet from it. "This is the latest model," he explained as he approached her. "I'll have the key put in a safe location. It's more of a chip, really, that unlocks it. But it seemed the most comfortable option. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

MC felt a panic rising in her chest as her heart began to pound deep in her throat. "Jumin, what is that?"

"The parameters cover the entire penthouse. This floor only. You'll be able to reach the front door, but you can go no further without it alerting me to your whereabouts."

As he spoke, he reached out for her, and, thinking he was going to grasp her wrist, MC quickly turned her body away to keep her arms out of his way. She gasped loudly in shock when instead he reached down and grasped her ankle tightly. Before she had a chance to even try to kick his hand away, he had snapped the tracking bracelet in place in one swift motion.

With the job done, he straightened and wiped his hands on the front of his slacks as if he had touched something dirty. "I apologize, it's not exactly stylish, but I didn't want to keep you in here. You can now move about the penthouse freely."

The panic she had felt suddenly burst into an eruption of fury. "How could you do this to me?" she shrieked, her voice rising with anger. She hated that her body's natural reaction was to send hot, bitter tears to well up in her eyes, and she did her best not to let them fall. "I want to talk to you, Jumin! I want to tell you what happened, but you won't give me the chance! You're not even hearing me. Listen to me, damn it!"

He shook his head slowly. "I understand that I've upset you, but I can't allow those atrocious men out there to have any more chances to charm you away from me. It's unacceptable. You are my wife. You devoted yourself to me, and those men – Luciel in particular – can't seem to respect that. You poor thing, so easily swayed. But you must remember you are mine."

MC watched him, her eyes widening, her jaw falling slack. "You're crazy," she whispered under her breath. She had never known Jumin to be delusional. Passionate, yes. Overwhelming, yes. But he always saw reality for what it was. Even when Elizabeth had run away, he had felt guilty, but he never behaved like this.

He took her wrist and pulled her up to stand. The weight of the tracking bracelet shifted heavily over her ankle and she grimaced. "I had the chef leave dinner for us," he said as he led her from the room. "Let's eat."

With no choice but to obey, MC followed.

 **/What I wouldn't give for someone to hold me the way Saeyoung holds MC. Oops, my bias is showing. I'll just retreat to my lonely little corner... Hope you all enjoyed! I really appreciate the reviews, guys. They always make me smile.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm not happy, Jumin," MC dared to say as Jumin mulled over the quiche the chef had prepared for breakfast. They had been living in silence for three days, and it was beginning to drive MC crazy. If she tried to say something, he would either ignore her or respond with something completely unrelated to what she was saying. Somehow, the latter was worse. It was as though he was creating his own conversations with her in his mind.

This time, he chose to ignore her. He simply ate the last bite of quiche on his plate and wiped his mouth, preparing to stand.

"Please, Jumin," MC begged, looking down at her own plate. She hadn't touched her breakfast. The past few days had caused her to lose her appetite. "Please just listen to me. Let me talk. You can't keep me like this. You have to let me talk to the RFA members. They must be so worried. Please."

He stood and carried his plate to the kitchen, placing it in the sink for the maid to wash. She only came to clean once a week since the wedding. MC had insisted that she didn't mind doing the dishes and other light cleaning on the maid's days off. MC wondered what she would say to her when she came.

Jumin appeared in the kitchen doorway, briefcase in hand. "I'm leaving now. Have a good day."

"Jumin!" MC shouted forcefully, and he turned around to give her a calm, questioning look. "You can't keep doing this to me! I'm sorry for what I did. I really am. But you have to know that I'm not happy. We need to talk about this. We need to talk about divorce."

Her final word seemed to make Jumin's stoic expression falter for a moment, but he regained it so quickly MC wondered if she had only imagined it.

"I won't be late," he assured her, and without another word he walked out the door.

MC stared at her plate for a while longer before getting up and tossing the untouched quiche in the trash. The sight of it was making her nauseous. As she walked past the spare bedroom, she heard the crackle of the radio and, in what had become routine, she went in and turned the volume up.

"Have you found any information on the tracking bracelet?" MC asked hopefully, looking up at the smooth black camera lens.

Saeyoung sighed through the radio static. "I'm really sorry, but since the brand name isn't on the bracelet, and you can't tell me anything about it besides 'it's black', I really haven't had much luck. I'm looking up all the companies I can find to try and find a matching model, but so far no dice."

"Damn," MC whispered and sat down heavily on the bed.

"Still no progress trying to talk to him?" Saeyoung prodded gently.

MC shook her head. "It's like he doesn't even hear me. I'm still holding out hope that he'll give me my phone back soon, but it's starting to seem unlikely."

"Just promise you'll call me the second he does," Saeyoung said.

"I will," she promised.

He paused for a moment. "The other members are getting worried. I don't know what tell them. Jumin popped into the messenger yesterday to tell them you were sick. They're all worried about you. MC, I…I could tell them what's really happening. They'll be shocked and upset, but together we could all probably do something to get you out of this. Especially if Jaehee knows. She could-."

"No," MC interrupted. Her voice shook and her lower lip trembled as she buried her face in her hands. "Please, Saeyoung, I don't want them to know. I…I'm so embarrassed…I'm trapped here like a caged animal. I deserve this for what I've done, and I don't want the others to know about it."

"You can't just let him continue to keep you locked up! This is serious, MC." His voice came out more forceful that he intended and he stopped himself to take a deep breath. "I can't stand seeing you trapped this way."

"Just give me some more time," MC sighed. "I think he's getting close to listening to me. I really do. So please, just let me handle this on my own time."

"…All right," Saeyoung agreed reluctantly. "I've got a lot of work to do today, so I won't be able to keep an eye on you, but if you need me just call for me. I'll leave the microphone on in the bedroom. Okay?"

"Okay," MC said. "Thank you, Saeyoung."

He hesitated. "MC, I-."

"Please, don't," she interrupted. "Don't say it yet. Not yet. Okay?"

He let out a breath. "Okay. I'll be here if you need me."

She nodded and watched the red light on the camera flick off. Truly alone, she walked out into the living room, the bracelet weighing heavily against her ankle. It was growing more uncomfortable by the day, chaffing at her skin and itching terribly. She had searched fruitlessly for the chip that Jumin claimed would unlock it and had given up. She figured he must have been keeping it at his office.

Elizabeth the 3rd hopped onto her lap as soon as she lowered herself onto the smooth leather couch, and she stroked her fur gently. Elizabeth seemed the only one who was enjoying MC being cooped up in the penthouse. It got her a lot more attention than she was used to.

Making herself comfortable, MC reached for the remote and turned on the television. Besides reading, it was all she could do until Jumin got home, and she become weirdly addicted to daytime TV programs.

The face of Ryan Secret, host of A! Celebrity News, came onto screen. This was nothing unusual, however seeing her own face on the screen caused her to shoot forward in such a surprise that Elizabeth screeched and bolted from her lap. MC's jaw fell slack as the photo of her and Jumin from an RFA event flashed onto the screen.

"It seems Mrs. Han missed out on the monthly C&R brunch yesterday," Ryan Secret was telling his audience. "She has never missed out on the chance to meet and greet with the wives of important C&R connections. She's always been sociable, and used those skills to invite guests to her organization's fundraising events, which prompts the question: Where is she?"

A video of Jumin at the brunch popped up onto the screen and MC sucked in a breath. "I apologize for my wife's absence this morning," Jumin said smoothly into a microphone some reporter was holding out to him. "She hasn't been feeling herself lately and has decided to stay home and rest."

Ryan Secret came back on screen, a mischievous grin on his gossip-spreading lips. "'Not feeling herself', eh?" he quoted, eyes twinkling. "You know what that sounds like to me, folks? It sounds like Mrs. Han may be suffering from a little _morning sickness."_

The audience broke into delighted cries, clapping excitedly, but MC felt her heart stop beating. She grappled for the remote and turned the television off, making the lying bastard's face disappear. She continued to stare at the blank screen in disbelief, unable to fully register what she had just heard. She had managed to avoid being the topic of gossip in the celebrity world, even despite being married to a corporate heir, and she did not feel good about it.

The last thing she needed was a rumor buzzing around that she was pregnant. Especially not now. She clenched her jaw and ran a hand distractedly through her hair. Jumin had brought up having children almost immediately after the honeymoon, and despite several months of trying, the tests MC took kept coming up negative. Just as Jumin was trying to convince her to see a fertility specialist, she instead suggested they wait a while longer, reasoning that Jumin was working often and late and she refused to raise a child essentially alone. He had agreed, reluctantly, to wait until things at C&R settled down before trying again.

She began to wonder if things would have turned out this way if she had managed to get pregnant in those first few months of wedded bliss. Would she have been happier with Jumin with a child in the picture? She certainly wouldn't have been seeing Saeyoung as much with a baby to take care of. Groaning, she pushed the thoughts away. There was no point dwelling on them.

The front door opened and MC's breath caught in her throat as she turned to see who was there, but she let out a low sigh when she saw it was only the maid.

Myeong was a short, mousy woman who was easily startled. She preferred to be alone when she cleaned the penthouse, hating an audience. She nearly dropped her bucket of cleaning supplies when she spotted MC, and clutched it to her chest tightly as if in defense. "O-oh, Mrs. Han," she stammered, clearly flustered. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't mean to scare you," MC replied gently. "I…wasn't feeling well today, so I stayed home."

"I see." She brushed loose strands of plain brown hair away from her eyes. "I won't disturb you then. You rest, I'll be quick."

"It's all right, I'm feeling a little better," MC reassured her. But she drew her legs up underneath her so she was sitting on her calves in an attempt to hide the ugly black band. "You do what you have to do, I won't move."

Myeong seemed unaccustomed to this kind of friendly attitude and she only nodded and scuttled off into the kitchen.

MC sighed and shifts her legs to a more comfortable position. It was easy enough to convince Myeong this week, but what would she do if she was still trapped next week? She couldn't play the sick card forever, and despite her skittish behavior, she felt the poor woman would be compelled to help in any way she could. MC just couldn't put that kind of pressure on her.

She settled back and picked up the paperback she had been leafing through the day before. She had seen enough TV for the day.

Saeyoung refused to let himself be distracted from his work. He was determined to finish as quickly as possible so he could turn the camera back on and check on MC. She was bored and obviously nearing the breaking point in her captivity, and he couldn't let that happen to her. Despite his promise, he planned to fill the RFA in on everything if nothing improved within the next twenty-four hours. They would hate him, probably even blame him for this, but he could take it. He deserved to take the blame.

His phone buzzed and despite his best efforts, he pulled it from his pocket, hoping against hope that it would be MC. Instead, he saw that Yoosung had started a new chat room, and what he had written made Saeyoung forget all about his work.

Yoosung: _Guys, guys! Ryan Secret just said MC was pregnant! Do you think it's true? Jumin did say she wasn't feeling well…_

Zen: _What?! Why would he know something like that before us?_

Jaehee: _I doubt it's true. You know A! Celebrity News isn't a credible source. I'm certain it's only a ploy to gain more viewers._

Yoosung: _But she hasn't joined a chat in almost a week! What if she's having a hard time? Maybe we should do something for her?_

Saeyoung frowned. Yoosung would go over to the penthouse in a heartbeat if he was worried enough, and what would he do when he discovered what was really going on? He didn't know what else Jumin Han would be capable of. He had to diffuse the situation before it got too out of hand.

707: _LOLOLOL Yoosung, are you really gullible enough to fall for anything Ryan Secret says?!_

Yoosung: _But…but…_

Zen: _Of course it's a trick! It's probably just the flu or something. You know how Jumin gets when she's sick. Rest and medicine only. She'll log back on in a day or two._

Jaehee: _Zen is right. You shouldn't be so gullible, Yoosung. It's clearly a lie._

Yoosung: _I guess…but maybe one of us should check on her and make sure she's okay._

707: _You don't think her own husband is capable of taking care of her?_

Yoosung: _That's not it! It's just…she's alone…_

Jaehee: _Mr. Han has already left the office for the day. She's in good hands._

Yoosung: _Okay…but I really hope she logs back in soon._

Saeyoung set his phone aside, cursing himself for being forced to essentially defend Jumin's actions while simultaneously thanking Jaehee for helping to ease Yoosung's worries. Ryan Secret was well known scum, and Saeyoung was already concocting a fake news story to send in anonymously so he would be distracted from speculating further on the condition of Mrs. Han. He had done enough damage already.

As he turned back to his work, his phone began buzzing with a phone call and he yelped in surprise when he saw MC's pretty face pop onto the screen. Jumin must have come to his senses and gone home to return her phone. It was about time.

Feeling optimistic, and took the call and pressed the phone to his ear. "MC," he said, voice full of relief, "I'm so glad to hear from you."

"Hello, Luciel."

His blood ran cold at the sound of the cool, deep voice on the other end of the line. How could he have fallen for such a simple trick? It was naïve of him to think that Jumin would have a change of heart so suddenly. He swallowed thickly. "Jumin."

"You've been sleeping with my wife." His voice was low and calm, as if he were simply stating an obvious fact.

Jumin's silence indicated that he was waiting for a response. Just how was Saeyoung supposed to reply to that? "Listen to me. You have to let her go. You can't keep her locked up, Jumin. People will find out! I could-."

"You are in no position to be threatening me," Jumin interrupted, his voice growing dark. "You have defiled the sanctity of my marriage, and to make up for it you are going to do something for me."

Saeyoung chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. "Whatever it is, will you let her go if I do it?"

"This is not a negotiation," Jumin replied firmly.

Frowning, Saeyoung turned his back to his computer screen and fidgeted anxiously. "What do you want me to do?"

He could practically hear the smirk forming on Jumin's face. "There's been some strange account activity with a few of C&R's biggest assets. You are going to check their personal bank account histories and report the results to me."

Saeyoung shook his head slowly. "I don't do that shit anymore. You know that."

"You don't have an option. Unless you want to be exposed for what you really are, you will do as I say. Unless you want my wife, whom you appear to _love,_ to remain caged in the penthouse, you will do as I say. Do you understand?"

The threat caused a chill to run down Saeyoung's spine and he mulled over his options carefully. He could handle Jumin informing the other RFA members of what he had done with MC. Hell, he could even handle Jumin exposing the secrets of his past to someone like Ryan Secret, but he would not allow him to continue keeping MC locked up. Turning the tables and trying to expose Jumin now was out of the question. He was caught.

"I understand," he said reluctantly. "Just who do you want me to check up on?"

"There are three accounts that are showing suspicious activity," Jumin replied in a tone that was strictly business. "You will examine the bank history of the Oil Prince, the owners of the winery in China, and the owner of the cat hotel we recently signed on with. I expect you to report back to me with results within the next forty-eight hours."

"And then you'll let her go?" Saeyoung pressed, but the only response he got was a dial tone. He cursed under his breath and tossed his phone aside. There were no options left. It was Friday and Jumin would no doubt be spending every moment at the penthouse with MC. He wouldn't be able to contact her at all. If he spilled everything to Zen, Yoosung, and Jaehee, Jumin could potentially do something to really hurt MC in retaliation. He was clearly unstable. Saeyoung refused to take even a calculated risk against Jumin while he was like this. He was stuck.

With a vice gripping roughly at his heart, Saeyoung turned around and began the dirty work he had sworn he would never touch again.

 **/Sorry for the wait! I've been a little busy lately but I was busting to get this written! I hope you enjoyed it ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

The weekend passed in a slow, dragging hell. Jumin's eyes never left MC. He ordered in their meals rather than calling for the chef to come. He sat on one end of the couch while MC read or watched TV silently on the other, trying to avoid his hard, suspicious gaze.

A few times, she noticed the subtle red light blinking on the security cameras and she felt relief wash over her knowing that Saeyoung was checking up on her. She hoped he would keep his promise about not telling anyone. She was determined to make Jumin see reason before the weekend was up, but every time she tried to speak he would either change the subject or bury himself into the work he brought home.

As the sun began to set Sunday evening, she decided she had wasted enough time and set her book aside. She stood quickly, catching Jumin's attention, and turned to face him.

"I want a divorce," she stated bluntly, and before he could even open his mouth she rushed on. "What I did was wrong, and I'm sorry, but everything we did was too fast. I'm not trying to make excuses, Jumin, but eleven days is not enough time to know if you really love someone. I was attracted to you, and I think I was caught up in all of that attraction. All of your sweet words and promises were amazing and they made me fall for you, but I think I was just absorbed in all of the attention I was getting. I was enraptured by you, but it was only temporary. It was too fast to be permanent, and if you were honest with yourself, I think you'd realize that you feel the same. We made a mistake rushing into everything."

The words tumbled out in rapid, cluttered succession and she took a moment to stop and catch her breath, meeting his eye to gauge his reaction.

He stared at her with cool contempt, expression flat and unchanging. Finally, after what felt like centuries to MC, he stood and walked languidly out of the room, leaving her alone for the first time that weekend.

Defeated, she sank back onto the couch and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Saeyoung watched the whole thing and now, as he sat at his desk with her sobbing form on his monitor, his chest ached with the need to reach out and comfort her. He hated seeing her this way. He hated Jumin for treating her this way. He hated himself for getting her into this in the first place.

He glanced at his second monitor, where an almost completed document on the personal bank histories of the clients Jumin had requested sat waiting to be finished. If he was going to finish it, he couldn't watch her cry. It was too distracting. The faster he finished this project, the faster she would be released. At least he hoped so. With trembling fingers, he turned off the camera and turned back to the document.

He had been steadily growing suspicious of Jumin's request over the weekend. Nothing at all seemed off about any of the accounts he had hacked into, and just as he was beginning to speculate about why that may be, his phone began to ring.

He didn't have to look to know who it was, and he groaned as he picked up his cell and placed it to his ear. "Look, Jumin-."

"Time is almost up, Luciel," Jumin interrupted. "I certainly hope you're not slacking. I'm sure you've seen how she's been doing here, and if you cared like you said you do, you would take extra care to complete my request as quickly and efficiently as possible."

"I'm almost done," Saeyoung snapped back. He should have guessed that Jumin would know he had been checking up on MC. He was far from a stupid man. He was calculating and precise, much like Saeyoung himself. The only difference was that Saeyoung had been making too many mistakes recently, while Jumin remained composed. It was a deadly difference between them. "Give me another hour. You'll have your information."

"Good," Jumin replied, sounding pleased. "Send it to my personal email when you're finished."

"Tell me you'll her go when I do," he demanded. "You're destroying her. You can't continue this. People are going to know really soon if you don't…" He trailed off as he realized he was talking to a dial tone, and he let out an angry snarl as he slammed his phone down. Saeyoung was half-tempted to stop and tell everyone just what kind of monster Jumin really was, but he had promised MC he would hold off and he didn't want to break anything else.

He turned back to the document, fingers hovering over the keyboard. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, pulsing at his temples. What would he do if Jumin didn't release her after this? He never said that he would, Saeyoung was only hoping against hope that that would be the case. How could he and MC possibly end up living happy lives together after everything they've been going through? Could they end up together at all? The thought almost seemed impossible now.

His phone rang shrilly once more and he snatched it up and pressed it to his ear. "Listen, you self-righteous prick, if you don't-."

"What?"

Saeyoung snapped his mouth shut. The new voice startled him and he slumped against the back of his computer chair, running a hand through his hair. "What do you want, Zen?"

"Well, first I'd like to know who the self-righteous prick is," Zen replied coyly, "because it certainly isn't me."

Saeyoung sighed heavily. "I really don't have time to talk right now."

"Then I'll be fast," Zen said simply. "I've tried calling Jumin but he's not answering. He also hasn't been saying much in the chat room for over a week. That's very unlike him."

"Why are you calling me about this?" Saeyoung asked, adding information to Jumin's document with his free hand.

"Because I thought you might know the real reason since you've been doing the same." Zen paused. "MC isn't really sick, is she?"

Saeyoung hesitated. He wanted to keep his promise to her, but he also knew he would start getting these questions eventually. He decided to go with giving as little information as possible. "No. She's not."

"Jumin found out you've been sleeping with her, didn't he?"

The calmness of his voice and the bluntness of the statement made Saeyoung freeze in his chair. The breath caught in his throat and stuck there like a dry pill. He clamored for words, managing to stammer out pieces of a question. "H-how did…?"

"I'm an actor, Seven. And a great one at that," Zen explained as though it were obvious. "And since I'm so great, I've developed the ability to read emotions well. Yoosung would have never picked up on it, but I can tell you love her, and you've loved her for a long time. I noticed a while ago the way you looked at her, and the way touched her and talked to her. For a while I only suspected that you two were intimate, but then I noticed a certain," he paused to clear his throat for dramatic effect, " _wrapper_ discarded under your couch. You should really be more careful."

"The last thing I need right now is a lecture," Saeyoung replied flatly.

"So he does know," Zen mused as though he had been given a direct answer. "Is she okay?"

Saeyoung chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, the promise he made echoing in his head. "She will be," he said carefully. "Nothing's going to be the same – for any of us – but she will be."

"That trust fund jerk," Zen scoffed. "I told him over and over again he was rushing her. He treats her like she's property that he can control!"

Saeyoung bit back a comment that would confirm just how true that statement was.

"I hope he doesn't insist they work it out and continue on with their marriage," Zen went on. "It was doomed for failure from the start. I called that when he proposed to her after only eleven days. Remember that?"

"I remember," Saeyoung mumbled, looking guiltily at the now completed document. "Look, I have some things to take care of. I have to go."

"All right," Zen agreed easily enough. "Tell me if I can do anything. I can't stand not seeing MC in the chat room. She loves talking to us."

"Just leave her alone for now," Saeyoung forced himself to say. "We're all pretty unhappy about this mess and we just need some time, okay?"

"Sure," Zen replied sympathetically, but before Saeyoung could hang up he added, "Is Jumin the self-righteous prick?"

Saeyoung couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah."

"We're finally on the same page, then," Zen declared and hung up, leaving Saeyoung once again in total silence.

He rolled his eyes at this and turned back to the computer. After giving the document a final-once over, he sucked in a deep breath and sent it to Jumin, right on time.

MC woke up first Monday morning. She had given up trying to talk to Jumin. She had given up trying to speak at all. She felt completely drained, as if her batteries had run out. She put up no argument when Jumin insisted she sleep in the same bed as him, as if things were completely normal between them. He hadn't touched her since she broke the news to him, and that was a relief, but sleeping next to someone who kept their back turned and slept as close to the edge as possible felt even lonelier than sleeping alone.

She hated this feeling. She hated this new, cold and unfeeling Jumin. She wanted to leave so badly, not caring how many alarms the damning bracelet set off, while at the same time she felt so devoid of energy that she didn't even want to get up out of bed. She decided she would stay there all day. She didn't even want to talk to Saeyoung.

Slowly, she raised her left hand and frowned at the way the diamonds on her ring sparkled with the early morning light streaming through the window. It was blinding, really. Almost ugly. It felt as though it suddenly weighed a thousand pounds against her finger. She stared numbly at it, feeling nothing but anger. Towards Jumin for giving it to her, towards herself for accepting it. She slid it off and placed it on the bedside table. She should have done it long ago, but over time the ring had become a strange part of her identity. That morning, she decided she didn't want it anymore.

Jumin's alarm went off and she felt the bed shift as he got up. She heard him disappear into the walk-in closet, browse through the nearly identical selections, and change out of his pajamas. She heard him walk out and stop in the doorway. She guessed he might be looking at her, but she didn't feel like turning around to check.

"Will you join me for breakfast?" he asked politely.

She pulled the blankets up over head, creating a cocoon around her. She felt so warm in that little safe haven, and when she heard Jumin close the bedroom behind him, she let out a low breath. There was a time he would remind her to the point of annoyance to not skip meals, ever, no matter what. Lately, he didn't seem to care whether she ate or not. She didn't mind though. She hadn't exactly had an appetite recently anyway.

Jumin left the penthouse at the usual time, leaving his wife lying in bed. He would probably find her there still when he came home that night. At the moment though, he didn't care. She didn't know it, but Jumin had a plan. He had spent the entire weekend formulating it. He would send Jaehee off to take care of some frivolous jobs while he took care of the real work. MC didn't know it, but Jumin had some phone calls to make, and if she could have seen the smirk that spread across his handsome face as he entered the cooperate elevator, it would have sent chills rushing down her spine.

Jumin Han had a plan, and things always worked out in his favor. Always.

 **/Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I felt this was the best place to end it ^^. Once again, thank you so much for all of the reviews and support! I really love writing, and I'm super proud of how this story is playing out. You guys are the best!**


	7. Chapter 7

Drumming his fingers on his desk, Saeyoung watched his phone vibrate with an incoming call. He watched as the phone, with Jumin Han's face looking up at him from the screen, moved closer and closer to the edge of the desk. Just as it was about to topple over onto the floor, he snatched it up and pressed it to his ear, a deep scowl etched onto his features.

"I did what you asked," he stated. The deep chuckle coming through the speaker cut him off and he snapped his mouth shut, feeling his insides grow cold.

"Luciel, I have some serious and incriminating evidence against you," Jumin informed him in a tone that was all business. "It seems that some of our client's accounts have been hacked into. Nothing was taken from them, but we at C&R International take this breach in security very seriously."

"You bastard," Saeyoung whispered, barely audible.

"After some personal investigating of my own," Jumin continued, "it seems that the hacker was traced back to you. I could have you put away for quite a long time over this, I hope you know."

"So that was your plan?" Saeyoung snapped. "Blackmail me into uselessly hacking into the accounts, catching me in the act, and arresting me?" His anger boiled inside of him. Of course that had been Jumin's intention. It made sense. With Saeyoung in jail Jumin wouldn't have to worry about MC leaving him anymore. She would have no one to run to.

"Not at all," Jumin replied, stopping the rushing train of thoughts and accusations whizzing through Saeyoung's mind.

"Then what?" he asked, dumbfounded. "What do you want from me, after making me do all that? What else could you possibly want?"

"You are going to disappear," Jumin stated simply. "All traces of your very existence will be gone by three o' clock this afternoon. Do you understand? You will remove yourself from the RFA, erase all current emails and phone numbers, and leave this city. I will personally ensure that you have done all of this. You will never see MC again. If you are not off the grid within the time I've allotted you, I will hand in all of my evidence against you to the police."

Saeyoung took a moment to let the demands sink in. Given his past, Jumin's request wouldn't be too hard to complete. But it also meant he had to give up MC alongside his identity. He bit his lip. It's probably for the best anyway, he thought. He had caused her so much pain. This was all happening because of him. She couldn't be happy with him. Not after everything that's happened. The last thing he wanted was to make her more miserable than she already was. It would be painful, but after some time he felt they both would move on. After all, he reminded himself, didn't that old saying say to let go of what you loved?

"Luciel, do we have an understanding?" Jumin asked impatiently.

Saeyoung had been backed into a very tight corner. "Yes," he said, reluctantly, at last. "We have an understanding."

There was a click followed by the monotonous dial tone. Saeyoung stood, stuffing his phone in his pocket, and pushed in his computer chair. He had so much to do and so little time to do it.

Jumin arrived home at exactly five o'clock that evening, as per usual. He entered the dining room and set his briefcase by his chair before going into the bedroom he shared with MC. She was right where he had left her and, frowning, he reached out and placed a hand on her back.

"Join me for dinner," he said. "I must speak to you."

She lifted her head from the pillow, her bleary eyes, devoid of any sparkle of hope, searched his features. Seeing no malicious intent, she rose and silently pulled her terrycloth robe on over her pajamas.

MC followed him sluggishly to the dining room, weak from hunger and exhausted from worry. She saw that the chef had prepared a pasta dish for them and she began to eat as soon as she was seated. The sooner she was finished, the sooner she could go back to bed and escape.

Jumin watched her for a moment, taking in her sunken eyes, pale features, and overall haggard appearance. She was not the same vibrant woman he had married. The past events had turned her unto a shell of her former self, and he shocked her completely when he stated, "You are not happy."

She looked up as if she had been jabbed with something sharp. She studied his face carefully, wondering what kind of game he may be playing, before replying, "No, Jumin. I'm not."

"I understand that I haven't been the perfect husband to you," he mused, meeting her eye. "I have had a tendency to put my work before your needs, and I am at fault for that. However, it doesn't excuse you for what you've done."

She looked down at her nearly empty plate. "I know that."

"Things cannot be the same between us," he continued. "Our marriage has drifted apart and I don't believe it can be salvaged at this point."

She looked up again, her brows wrinkled in confusion as she watched him. "Jumin…"

He reached into his briefcase and removed a sheaf of papers. "I made some calls today. Rika's old apartment is still available. You can go there tonight. I'll have your things taken there tomorrow morning. I will provide you with enough money to live on until you are able to find a job. Given your abilities, I don't expect the process to take long. Yoosung mentioned the pet clinic he works at is looking for a secretary. You can start there.

"If you agree to all of this, you can sign these papers. I had my lawyer draw them up. Feel free to read through it all. I think you'll find everything to be fair."

He pushed the papers and his diamond pen over to her and MC's breath caught in her throat when she saw that they were indeed divorce papers. "I apologize for overreacting," he continued, glancing down. "I was upset. I truly never expected this from you."

"I know," MC replied, swallowing thickly. "I'm sorry. For all of this. But I think…It's for the best." She picked up the pen and leafed through the papers, noticing Jumin's neat signature already on his allotted line.

"I agree," Jumin returned. "I hope you continue your work with the RFA. You've done so much; it would be a waste to leave because of this."

She nodded lightly. "I never wanted to leave the RFA."

He watched her sign her name, stack the papers neatly, and place the pen on top. When she had finished, he stood and removed a small chip from his pocket. "The key to the bracelet," he explained as he knelt down beside her. He took her ankle gently in his hand and inserted the chip. MC sighed with relief as the clunky metal tracking bracelet slid off her ankle and hit the plush carpet with a muted thud.

"Thank you, Jumin," she said, the flood of relief bringing a fresh set of tears to brim at her eyes. "Thank you for understanding."

"I can't say that I'm happy about this situation," he replied simply, taking her cell phone from his briefcase and handing it to her, "but I now understand where we both went wrong."

Morning came, and MC watched the light flood in from the picture window of the apartment she had occupied for a grand total of eleven days. Already it felt like home to her. As she lay in bed, she took her phone from the bedside table. She had not turned it on since Jumin gave it back to her. She had spent the previous evening packing her necessities, travelling to the apartment, and crying sweet, potent tears of relief until she fell into a dreamless and deep sleep.

There was only one person she wanted to contact. She could explain the situation to the rest of the RFA later. She had an inkling they all may have guessed what was going on anyway. It was time for her to move on, to be happy, and there was only one person she wanted to do that with. To love Saeyoung without the guilt, to be able to hold him freely and spend endless nights with him, things she had only daydreamed about until this day, was finally becoming a reality. She couldn't wait to get started.

But, as she opened the messenger app and scrolled through the contacts there, she found that Saeyoung's name had been removed. With a sinking feeling in her chest, she opened up her regular contacts and searched for his personal contact information. Gone.

She opened her email account and scrolled through her contacts there. Nothing.

Suddenly numb, she let the phone fall out of her hand and onto the mattress. It bounced once and then remained still. Jumin would never have let her go so easily, she realized. Not with the way he had reacted when she broke the news. No, he would never let his love go. Not while knowing that she would run right to the arms of her lover. That was why he had given into the divorce so easily, so simply. As if he had been planning it all along. He cut off her contact with Saeyoung, and then he made Saeyoung disappear. Given the power Jumin held at his fingertips, she couldn't imagine what he had done to ensure she would never be able to contact Saeyoung again.

Seething, she picked up her phone, wanting to call Jumin, wanting to scream and yell and force him to tell her what he had done, all while knowing it would be of no use. In a way, they had both gotten what they wanted.

Her phone chimed with an email alert and, reacting on impulse, she opened the app and stared at the single sentence message sent by the unknown sender.

 _HackerMan707 has sent you a request to download the app "Hide and Seek"._

A small smile began to tug at her lips as she clicked on the link provided. A moment later, the new app appeared on her phone. Strangely, it appeared to be nothing but a simple map app, but when she opened it a map with only a single bookmarked location showed up on the screen. A message from within the app popped up and her smile broke into a grin as she read it. Suddenly, she knew that everything would be all right. After all they had been through together; they were both going to get the ending they deserved.

" _You're it! Can you find me? I'll be waiting. Muah!"_

 **I have truly enjoyed writing this story. I really appreciate all of the feedback you guys have given me on it. It definitely inspired me to keep pushing through and writing, even when the dreaded Writer's Block took over. Shout out to a good friend of mine, who loves Jumin but helped me out with a lot of brainstorming for this fic despite that. I would say MC and Saeyoung got the good ending they deserved, don't you think?**

 **Thanks so much for reading. You've all been great!**


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